Chapter 32: You’re Being Too Forward!

Snow fell silently, its coldness piercing through to the bone.

Hui Niang remained speechless, at a loss for what to do.

Wei Shouzhong, though honest and straightforward, had his own ideas. He spoke up.

“Given our son’s current condition, what good family would willingly give their daughter in marriage? Unless we offer a larger betrothal gift. But you know our situation at home; how could we afford that?”

“In comparison, we could still manage to scrape together a couple of taels of silver.”

Hui Niang furrowed her brow tightly. “But that silver is meant for Ah Lang’s medical treatment. Marriage can wait, but treatment cannot.”

She spent whole nights worrying their funds would be insufficient.

Wei Shouzhong tried to comfort his wife.

“Now that we’ve received our share of land in the family division, once spring planting is done and the fields are settled, I’ll go work as a porter at the county dock. I may not have much skill, but I have my strength. I’ve heard they’re recruiting miners again in the west; I’ll look into that.”

Upon hearing this, Hui Niang became anxious. “Absolutely not! Those mines treat people like livestock. Don’t you know how many died there last year?”

“What would become of me and Ah Lang if something happened to you?”

“Just listen to me; I haven’t gone yet.”

He wouldn’t risk his life unless absolutely necessary.

Wei Shouzhong added, “Last time, Uncle and the others said they’d be willing to lend us silver if we were in need.”

“Besides, we don’t need to rush into anything today. We should first see if these girls are suitable and willing to live a stable life.”

These words brought Hui Niang some comfort, and her mood eased slightly.

“I think buying from the matchmaker would be safer. Just look at Miss Wan’s sister-in-law—haven’t her relatives come begging enough? It’s hard to find sensible in-laws.”

Those girls were different.

Having been sold by their families, they had completely severed all ties.

At this point, Wei Shouzhong heaved a deep sigh.

“There’s something I’ve been keeping from you.”

“Earlier when our kitchen was leaking, several tiles fell from the eaves.”

They shattered into pieces when they hit the ground.

After cleaning up, they tossed them into the corner by the wall.

Wei Shouzhong spoke gravely, “But Ah Lang picked them up when we weren’t paying attention.”

“I saw him make a few gestures before trying to cut his neck with them.”

The tiles’ edges were sharp—if he hadn’t stopped him in time, who knows what might have happened!

Wei Shouzhong was terrified!

He replaced the tiles with smooth stones.

Yet Wei Zhao just hung his head, showing neither joy nor sorrow, his dark eyes devoid of any spark of life. It seemed that even if he had slit his throat and blood had gushed forth, it would have meant nothing to him.

Even… after the tiles were taken away, Wei Zhao remained indifferent.

He showed no attachment to anything.

He was indifferent to everything, including life and death.

But this only made Wei Shouzhong more anxious; fear crept up his spine as cold sweat soaked his back.

He could only speak with a trembling voice.

“Ah Lang, you must not do this.”

Yet as a deeply worried father, seeing Wei Zhao’s disdain for the stones, he had no choice but to smooth down the sharp edges of the tiles and let Wei Zhao keep them to play with.

However, Wei Zhao remained unsatisfied, and both the stones and tiles disappeared to who knows where.

Hui Niang turned pale—just hearing Wei Shouzhong’s account made her shudder with dread.

Wei Shouzhong closed his eyes briefly. “Hui Niang, we’re getting old. How many more years can we watch over him? We can’t keep an eye on him every moment.”

*

Inside the house.

Yu Tingwan was truly infuriated! After all, she really was poor!

But the young girl couldn’t understand how Wei Shen could say such things. He was already burdening his parents!

Yu Tingwan pouted her small face and moved away from him. “You’re very impudent.”

Wei Zhao remained listless.

For a moment, the room fell silent.

When Hui Niang returned, her eyes were slightly red, and she seemed particularly distracted. Meanwhile, Wei Shouzhong had gone out for a while and soon returned leading a group of people.

Leading them was a shrewd-looking woman who immediately began surveying the courtyard upon entering. Behind her followed a group of timid girls, all thin and sickly-looking, their clothes stained with dirt.

As Yu Tingwan wondered about this, she saw Hui Niang approach Wei Shen.

“Don’t worry, son. Mother will definitely find you a good wife.”

Hui Niang spoke gently to Wei Zhao: “Since you’ll be the one living with her, I worry you might not like mother’s choice. Would you like to come out and take a look?”

Seeing Wei Zhao remain silent as usual, Hui Niang had grown accustomed to it.

She could only continue speaking to him softly.

“Then tell mother, what kind of girl do you like?”

Yu Tingwan wanted to speak up.

She knew well enough.

Wei Shen liked fair-skinned ones!

But she held back.

Inappropriate images flashed through her mind, making the young girl feel uncomfortable.

Wei Zhao had heard such talk countless times before.

The late Duke of Shun had once said:

“Gui Zhi, you’ve established yourself, it’s time to start a family.”

The Duchess of Shun had also said:

“Among all the ladies in the capital, mother particularly favors Princess Yong’an, and she has feelings for you too. What do you think?”

“If you’re interested, mother will arrange everything. If not, I’ll look for other options.”

Even the current Emperor had mentioned at a banquet that Wei Zhao could choose from any noble lady in the capital.

Yet Wei Zhao had devoted himself entirely to military affairs at the time.

Now he no longer thought about military matters.

After Hui Niang left, Yu Tingwan pondered thoughtfully.

She could understand—given Wei Shen’s way with words, not just Hui Niang, even she worried he wouldn’t be able to find a wife.

The young girl looked at Wei Zhao with particular confusion.

“How can you be so indifferent about such an important matter?”

Wei Zhao: …

He wasn’t Wei Shen.

What did it have to do with him?

The couple was entertaining the guests outside. Hui Niang brought out stools and poured hot water for everyone.

Wei Shouzhong sat at Wei Zhao’s doorway, where he could hear the conversation in the courtyard while keeping an eye on those inside.

The woman was well-dressed but bore an expression of frustration. After sipping the hot water, her frozen body found some relief.

Her eyes showed weariness; being skilled at smooth talk in her trade, she addressed Hui Niang.

“My surname is Chen; people call me Madam Chen. When Brother Wei said your family wanted to see some girls, I brought them along.”

“Don’t worry, sister, they’re all from respectable families.”

“If I wasn’t in urgent need of money and caught in this terrible weather, I wouldn’t be selling them so hastily. If these girls were groomed and sent south, they’d fetch not just one or two taels, but even ten. You’re getting quite a bargain.”

“I’m straightforward—as long as you pay the full amount, I’ll leave the girl here along with the deed of sale.”

After speaking, she harshly commanded the girls behind her, “Come forward and let sister have a look!”

The girls had been most fearful of Madam Chen throughout their journey. Hearing this, they hurriedly stepped forward, trembling.

Hui Niang watched this with sympathy in her heart.

“Don’t be afraid. Such matters must be consensual—if you’re unwilling, I won’t force you.”

She had them sit down again.

“There’s no need for such formality, please be at ease.”

“These are our circumstances, as you can see. As parents, we naturally have our concerns. My son isn’t in good health, so I just want to find someone kind-hearted who can take care of him.”